Marionette toy

ABSTRACT

A marionette toy is provided with a container to accommodate a marionette, a lid for the container, a plurality of suspending members and a driving mechanism. One end of each of the suspending members one is connected to the marionette to suspend the marionette. The driving mechanism drives at least one of the suspending members and is arranged inside the lid.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a marionette toy such as a marionetteaccommodated in a container.

2. Description of the Related Art

It is conventionally proposed to drive a marionette by a solenoid ormusic box (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 48-24838, Japanese UtilityModel Laid-Open No. 54-17390, and Japanese Utility Model RegistrationNo. 3110565).

According to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 48-24838, a skeletonmarionette is swung by pulling up and down three control strings usingthree solenoids.

According to Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 54-17390, a soundinput to a microphone or a sound input from the terminal of a stereosystem is amplified, and a solenoid is driven by a change in amplifiedvoltage, so that a marionette keeps dancing as far as the sound is input(page 2 of the original specification). A suspension string 12 hangingfrom a marionette support tool 11 suspends this marionette. An operationcompensating spring 10 suspends the marionette support tool 11. Withthis mechanism, the marionette moves to the left and right largely andcraps hands.

According to Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3110565, suspensionstrings connected to the right hand, head, and left hand of a marionetteaccommodated in a container are swung by a music box.

In the marionette described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 48-24838,the control strings can be easily entangled with the main body and thesuspension string. In addition, the marionette disclosed in JapanesePatent Laid-Open No. 48-24838 requires the three solenoids, increasingthe number of components. A driving mechanism such as the solenoids isexposed to spoil the appearance.

In the marionette described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No.54-17390, the control strings can be easily entangled likewise becausethe control strings and suspension string are excessively long for theentire length of the marionette. In particular, the motion of themarionette becomes complicated due to the operation compensating spring,so that the control strings can be easily entangled with the main bodyand suspension string. As a driving mechanism such as solenoids andsprings is exposed, the control strings may be entangled the drivingmechanism. Once the string is entangled, it is often difficult todisentangle due to the complicated driving mechanism. The exposeddriving mechanism spoils the appearance. The marionette keeps moving aslong as a sound is continuously input. This may waste the power.

According to Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3110565, themarionette is merely suspended by the control strings at its main bodyand two hands, and the right and left feet do not move very actively.The driving mechanism including the music box is exposed, and thestrings can accordingly be easily entangled with it. Particularly, ifthe string is entangled with the gear of the music box or the like, itwill be very difficult to disentangle it. The exposed driving mechanismspoils the appearance, as the matter of course. Furthermore, the rightand left feet are in contact with the bottom of the container. When themain body moves, the feet may generate noise.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has as its feature to solve at least one of theabove and other problems. Other problems will be understood throughoutthe entire specification.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a marionette toy comprising:

a container to accommodate a marionette;

a lid for the container;

a plurality of suspending members one end of each of which is connectedto the marionette to suspend the marionette; and

a driving mechanism which drives at least one of the plurality ofsuspending members and is arranged inside the lid.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a marionette toy wherein

the driving mechanism comprises control means which starts operationupon detection of a sound, stops operation after having operated for apredetermined period of time, and shifts to a power saving mode when asound not less than a threshold is not input for not less than apredetermined period of time after stopping, and

the plurality of suspending members have such lengths that at leastwhile the driving mechanism is stopped, two feet of the marionette arespaced apart from a bottom of the container.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a marionette toy wherein

the plurality of suspending members include

a first string which suspends a right hand of the marionette,

a second string which suspends a left hand of the marionette,

a third string which suspends a right foot of the marionette, and

a fourth string which suspends a left foot of the marionette, and

the third string and the fourth string are located in front of the firststring and the second string with respect to a front side of a main bodyof the marionette.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a marionette toy wherein the driving mechanism includes

a first seesaw member with one end which locks the first string and theother end which locks the second string,

a second seesaw member with one end which locks the third string and theother end which locks the fourth string,

driving means which drives the first seesaw member, and

motion converting means which transfers motion of the first seesawmember to the second seesaw member and changes a moving direction of thesecond seesaw member to be different from a moving direction of thefirst seesaw member.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a marionette toy wherein

the motion converting means includes

a first shaft member which serves as a pivot shaft of the first seesawmember,

a second shaft member which is arranged parallel to the first shaftmember, coupled to the first shaft member through a coupling member, andmoves along a circular arc when the first seesaw member seesaws, and

a third shaft member which is arranged parallel to the first shaftmember and serves as a pivot shaft of the second seesaw member, and

the second shaft member engages with the second seesaw member, and whenthe second shaft member moves along the circular arc, the second seesawmember seesaws about the third shaft member as a center.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a marionette toy wherein the first string and the second stringare respectively locked by the first seesaw member through lockingmembers that can be removed from the first seesaw member.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a marionette toy wherein the third string and the fourth stringare respectively locked by the second seesaw member through lockingmembers that can be removed from the second seesaw member.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments with reference to theattached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the outer appearance of a marionette toyaccording to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a left side view showing the outer appearance of themarionette toy according to the embodiment in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view showing the interior of a lid according to theembodiment in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view showing the first seesaw (front surface) according tothe embodiment in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a view showing the first seesaw (rear surface) according tothe embodiment in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a view showing the second seesaw according to the embodimentin FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 includes views for describing the linked movements of the firstand second seesaws according to the embodiment in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a view showing a solenoid according to the embodiment in FIG.1;

FIG. 9 is a view showing bearings which receive the pivot shaft of thesecond seesaw according to the embodiment in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a view showing a state in which only the second seesawaccording to the embodiment in FIG. 1 is mounted;

FIG. 11 is a view showing an example of a locking member for a controlstring according to the embodiment in FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a view showing a state in which the locking members arelocked by the second seesaw according to the embodiment in FIG. 1;

FIG. 13 shows four holes through which control strings according to theembodiment in FIG. 1 are to be inserted;

FIG. 14 is a view showing an example of a state in which a marionetteaccording to the embodiment in FIG. 1 operates;

FIG. 15 is a view showing an example of the state in which themarionette according to the embodiment in FIG. 1 operates;

FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of acontroller according to the embodiment in FIG. 1;

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing driving pattern examples according to theembodiment in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of a control method according to the embodimentin FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the outer appearance of a marionette toyaccording to an embodiment. A container 1 is a jar type container foraccommodating a marionette and is transparent. More specifically, thecontainer 1 has a jar shape. A jar shape refers to an almost cylindricalshape with one end closed. Usually, the closed end of a container iscalled the “bottom”, and the other open end of the container is calledthe “mouth”. As the container 1 is transparent, the marionette containedin the container 1 can be seen externally.

The mouth of the container 1 is provided with a detachable lid 2. Thelid 2 may be tapered. That surface of the lid 2 which is to come intocontact with the inner surface of the mouth of the container 1 may beprovided with an elastic material such as rubber. This aims atpreventing the lid 2 from accidental disengagement while facilitatingengagement/removal of the lid 2.

The main body of the marionette comprises a torso 3 and head 4. Thetorso 3, the head 4, a right hand 5, a left hand 6, a right foot 7, anda left foot 8 are made of, e.g., an ABS resin. A right arm 9 which linksthe torso 3 and right hand 5, a left arm 10 which links the torso 3 andleft hand 6, a right leg 11 which links the torso 3 and right foot 7,and a left leg 12 which links the torso 3 and left foot 8 are formed ofthreads such as polyamide-based synthetic fibers (e.g., nylon(registered trademark)).

The right hand 5 is connected to one end of a control string 15. Thecontrol string 15 is an example of the first string that suspends theright hand of the marionette. The other end of the control string 15 isconnected to one end of the first seesaw through a cylindrical member(to be described later).

The left hand 6 is connected to one end of a control string 16. Thecontrol string 16 is an example of the second string that suspends theleft hand of the marionette. The other end of the control string 16 isconnected to the other end of the first seesaw through a cylindricalmember (to be described later). The control strings 15 and 16 are anexample of a plurality of suspending members one end of each of which isconnected to the marionette to suspend it.

The right foot 7 is connected to one end of a control string 17. Thecontrol string 17 is an example of the third string that suspends theright foot of the marionette. The other end of the control string 17 isconnected to one end of the second seesaw through a cylindrical member(to be described later). The left foot 8 is connected to one end of acontrol string 18. The control string 18 is an example of the fourthstring that suspends the left foot of the marionette. The other end ofthe control string 18 is connected to the other end of the second seesawthrough a cylindrical member (to be described later).

Desirably, the control strings 17 and 18 are respectively connected tothe toes of the corresponding feet, or front instep portions of thefeet. Then, the control strings 17 and 18 can be respectively arrangedin front of the control strings 15 and 16 which serve to suspend thehands. More specifically, if the control strings 17 and 18 are spacedapart from the control strings 15 and 16, the control strings can besuppressed from being entangled with each other.

A suspension string 19 connects the head 4 to the lid 2. The controlstrings 17, 18 and suspension string 19 give an example of a pluralityof suspending members one end of each of which is connected to themarionette to suspend it.

Although the control strings 15 to 18 are driven by a driving mechanismprovided inside the lid 2, the suspension string 19 is not driven. Thesuspension string 19 may be replaced by a control string which is drivenby the driving mechanism.

FIG. 2 is a left side view showing the outer appearance of themarionette toy according to this embodiment. As described above, thecontrol strings 17 and 18 are located in front of the control strings 15and 16 with respect to the front side of the main body of themarionette. This aims at suppressing entanglement of the controlstrings.

Referring to FIG. 2, the two feet are both spaced apart from the bottomof the container 1. The lengths of the control strings 17 and 18 are setsuch that this separate state is maintained at least while the drivingmechanism is stopped. The lengths of the control strings 17 and 18 maybe set such that the separate state is maintained also when the rightand left feet 7 and 8 are driven. This can suppress noise which canoccur when the right and left feet 7 and 8 accidentally come intocontact with the bottom to cause a malfunction.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the insteps of the right and left feet 7 and8 are respectively provided with spherical weights. This prevents thetoes of the right and left feet 7 and 8 from facing up when pulling thecorresponding control strings upward.

FIG. 3 is a view showing the interior of the lid according to thisembodiment. The lid 2 is halved into an upper portion and a lowerportion 30. A first seesaw 31 and second seesaw 32 are axially supportedinside the lower portion 30. One end of the first seesaw 31 locks thecontrol string 15, and the other end of the first seesaw 31 locks thecontrol string 16. One end of the second seesaw 32 locks the controlstring 17, and the other end of the second seesaw 32 locks the controlstring 18.

FIG. 4 is a view showing the first seesaw (front surface) according tothis embodiment. The first seesaw 31 is formed such that a pivot shaft34 can be fitted and inserted in it, and seesaws about the pivot shaft34 as the center. The pivot shaft 34 is an example of the first shaftmember serving as the pivot shaft of the first seesaw member.

The two arms of the first seesaw 31 are provided with locking portions39 and 33 at their distal ends. The locking portions 39 and 33respectively lock almost cylindrical locking members (to be describedlater). Note that the locking portion 39 locks the control string 15,and that the locking portion 33 locks the control string 16.

The first seesaw 31 is provided with two magnets 36 and 37. The magneticpoles of the magnets 36 and 37 on a side seen in FIG. 2 differ. When thefirst seesaw 31 is mounted in the lid 2, a solenoid serving as a drivingmeans is arranged on a side opposing the magnets 36 and 37. Thedirection of the magnetic field generated by the solenoid is changed byswitching the direction of the current flowing to the solenoid. Thisserves as the driving force of the first seesaw 31. The magnets 36 and37 may be, e.g., permanent magnets, but can be electromagnets such assolenoids. One of the magnets 36 and 37 may be a ferromagnetic body, andthe remaining one may be omitted.

FIG. 5 is a view showing the first seesaw (rear surface) according tothis embodiment. A pin 35 is arranged under the pivot shaft 34 to beparallel to it. A coupling member 38 couples the pin 35 to the pivotshaft 34. When the first seesaw 31 seesaws, the pin 35 moves along acircular arc about the pivot shaft 34 as the center. The pin 35 servesto transfer the driving force to the second seesaw 32. In this manner,the pin 35 is an example of the second shaft member that is arrangedparallel to the first shaft member, is coupled to the first shaft memberthrough a coupling member, and moves along a circular arc when the firstseesaw member seesaws.

FIG. 6 is a view showing the second seesaw according to this embodiment.A pivot shaft 41 is fitted and inserted in the second seesaw 32. Thepivot shaft 41 is arranged parallel to the pivot shaft 34 and pin 35.The second seesaw 32 seesaws about the pivot shaft 41 as the center. Thepivot shaft 41 is an example of the third shaft member that is arrangedparallel to the first shaft member and serves as the pivot shaft of thesecond seesaw member.

The second seesaw 32 is provided with followers 43 and 44 at its upperportion to receive the pin 35 described above. The pin 35 engages in aU-shaped groove 45 formed between the two followers 43 and 44. As thesecond shaft member (pin 35) engages with the second seesaw member(second seesaw 32) in this manner, when the second shaft member movesalong a circular arc, the second seesaw member seesaws about the thirdshaft member (pivot shaft 41) as the center.

FIG. 7 includes views for describing the movements of the cooperatedfirst and second seesaws according to this embodiment. As is seen fromFIG. 7, the moving direction of the first seesaw 31 is different fromthat of the second seesaw 32. More specifically, when the first seesaw31 ascends to the right (descends to the left), the second seesaw 32descends to the right (ascends to the left). On the contrary, when thesecond seesaw 32 ascends to the right, the first seesaw 31 descends tothe right. This is because the pivot shafts 34 and 41 are axiallysupported by the corresponding bearings inside the lid. When the pin 35moves interlocked to the motion of the first seesaw 31 to the left andright along a circular arc, the second seesaw 32 moves in the oppositedirection through the groove 45 serving as an engaging portion.

In this manner, the members such as the pivot shaft 34, pin 35, couplingmember 38, pivot shaft 41, followers 43 and 44, groove 45, and the likeoperate like a kind of toggle mechanism. More specifically, thesemembers give an example of a motion converting means which transfers themotion of the first seesaw member to the second seesaw member andchanges the moving direction of the second seesaw member to be differentfrom that of the first seesaw member.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a solenoid according to this embodiment. Thesolenoid 51 is arranged at the position to oppose the magnets 36 and 37described above. A bearing 52 to receive one end of the pivot shaft 34is arranged almost above the solenoid 51. A bearing 53 to receive theother end of the pivot shaft 34 is arranged to oppose the bearing 52.

FIG. 9 is a view showing bearings which receive the pivot shaft of thesecond seesaw according to this embodiment. Bearings 54 and 55 of thepivot shaft 41 are arranged almost under the bearing 53 at a more inner(center) side of the lid 2.

FIG. 10 is a view showing a state in which only the second seesawaccording to this embodiment is mounted. The second seesaw 32 is mountedat a position lower than that of the first seesaw 31. Hence, duringassembly, the second seesaw 32 is mounted inside the lid 2 first.

FIG. 11 is a view showing an example of a locking member for the controlstring according to this embodiment. Locking members 61 are made of aflexible material such as an ABS resin and almost cylindrical. Eachlocking member 61 has a space (a groove) extending inward from one end.The locking portions 39 and 33, a locking portion 42, and the likeengage with this space. The locking portions 39, 33, and 42 havepin-like projections which engage with a recess formed on the inner sideof the locking member 61. More specifically, the locking portions aresandwiched by the locking member.

Since each locking member 61 is made of the flexible material such asthe ABS resin, it can be easily removed from the locking portions 39,33, and 42. The control string is locked at one end of the lockingmember 61. The suspension string 19 may employ a similar locking member.

FIG. 12 is a view showing a state in which the locking members arelocked by the second seesaw according to this embodiment. Lockingmembers 61 are fitted in the respective locking portions of the secondseesaw 32. In the first seesaw 31 as well, locking members 61 are fittedin the respective locking portions.

FIG. 13 shows four holes through which the control strings according tothis embodiment are to be inserted. Holes 71 to 74 are formed in thebottom of the lid 2 so that the control strings 15 to 18 canrespectively extend through them.

FIGS. 14 and 15 are views showing examples of a state in which themarionette according to this embodiment operates. As the first andsecond seesaws 31 and 32 described above move in the oppositedirections, the hands and feet move in the opposite directions.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of acontroller according to this embodiment. The controller is arranged onthe upper portion of the lid 2 except for the solenoid 51. Upondetection of a sound through a microphone 81, a controller 80 drives thesolenoid 51 to start operation of the driving mechanism. When it isdetermined via a timer 85 that the driving mechanism has operated for apredetermined period of time, the controller 80 stops power supply tothe solenoid 51. This stops the mechanism. After the stop, if a soundequal to or exceeding a threshold is not input from the microphone 81for a predetermined period of time or more, the controller 80 shifts toa power saving mode. In the power saving mode, the controller 80 stopsdetection of an input sound until a power switch 83 is operated again.This can economize the power of a battery 82. A memory 84 stores thedriving patterns of the solenoid 51 corresponding to the marionettedance patterns. The controller 80 selects one of the plurality ofdriving patterns and drives the solenoid 51 using the selected pattern.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing driving pattern examples according to thisembodiment. In this case, four driving patterns A, B, C, and D areshown. The four driving patterns A, B, C, and D may be selected with thesame probability, or with different probabilities.

In these driving patterns, the right hand and left foot, or the lefthand and right foot may move upward twice or more continuously. In thiscontinuous driving, the hand and foot may stay at the upper position.Alternatively, after each time the hand and foot are driven, they may berestored to the neutral position and may move upward again. The actionof the marionette will be more rhythmic in the latter case.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of a control method according to this embodiment.In step S90, when the power switch 83 is turned on, the controller 80starts operation upon reception of the power supplied from the battery82.

In step S91, the controller 80 counts a predetermined period of timeusing the timer 85, and checks whether or not a sound is input from themicrophone 81 before the predetermined period of time is counted. Whenthe sound is input, the process advances to step S92.

In step S92, the controller 80 stops monitoring the sound input from themicrophone 81. This prevents the marionette from continuous operation bythe sound generated by its action.

In step S93, the controller 80 generates a random number. The number ofrandom numbers to be generated coincides with, e.g., the number ofdriving patterns stored in the memory 84.

In step S94, the controller 80 selectively reads out a driving patterncorresponding to the generated random number from the memory 84, anddrives the solenoid 51 in accordance with the readout driving pattern.

In step S95, the controller 80 determines whether or not to stop drivingthe solenoid 51. For example, the determination criterion can includewhether or not lapse of a predetermined period of time is confirmed fromthe output of the timer 85, or whether or not the same driving patternis repeated a predetermined number of times. When driving is ended, theprocess advances to step S96.

In step S96, the controller 80 resumes monitoring the sound input fromthe microphone 81.

In step S97, the controller 80 counts a predetermined period of timeusing the timer 85, and checks whether or not a sound is input from themicrophone 81 before the predetermined period of time is counted. When asound is input, the process returns to step S93. If no sound is input,the flow advances to step S98.

In step S98, the controller 80 performs auto power off as an example ofthe power saving mode. When auto power off is performed, powerconsumption of the battery 82 is suppressed until the power switch 83 isoperated again. As the power saving mode, the controller 80 mayintermittently monitor the microphone input without completelydisconnecting power supply. In this case, the process advances to stepS92 when a sound is input to the microphone 81 again.

As has been described above, according to this embodiment, the drivingmechanism is built in the lid of the container, so that stringentanglement can be suppressed while maintaining the good appearance.

Although the above embodiment is exemplified by a marionette, anotherobject that cannot be called a puppet may be employed. Although thesound is employed in the above embodiment as an example of a phenomenonto be detected by the controller, a physical phenomenon (e.g.,vibration, light, or electromagnetic waves) other than the sound may beemployed.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since thedriving mechanism to drive the marionette is arranged inside the lid ofthe container, entanglement of the string with the driving mechanism canbe suppressed while maintaining the good appearance. Even if the controlstring is entangled with the marionette or the like, it may be easilydisentangled by removing the lid from the container.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, even when themarionette operates upon detection of a sound, power conservation isfacilitated. When the two feet of the marionette easily come intocontact with the bottom of the container, if accidental vibration occursin the standby state after the operation is stopped, the two feet strikethe bottom of the container to generate noise. When noise is generated,the marionette keeps operating undesirably. By employing a structure inwhich the feet of the marionette do not easily come into contact withthe bottom of the container, a state such as continuous operation of themarionette can be suppressed.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, even if aplurality of strings are employed to suspend the two hands and two feet,the strings which suspend the two hands and the strings which suspendthe two feet are spaced apart from each other. Thus, the strings are noteasily entangled with each other.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since themotion of the first seesaw member can be transferred to the secondseesaw member, the number of driving means such as a motor and solenoidcan be reduced to one. The driving mechanism becomes compact and can beeasily built inside the lid of the container. Also, the moving directionof the second seesaw member can be changed to be different from that ofthe first seesaw member. Hence, despite the simple mechanism, themarionette can move in a complicated manner.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a comparativelysimple arrangement can realize a motion converting means. This canprovide a toy that is not broken easily and advantageous in terms of themanufacturing cost.

According to the sixth and seventh aspects of the present invention, therespective strings are locked by the seesaw members through the lockingmembers removable from the seesaw members. Even if the strings areentangled with each other, they can be disentangled easily by removingthe locking members.

As many apparently widely different embodiments of the present inventioncan be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it isto be understood that the invention is not limited to the specificembodiments thereof except as defined in the appended claims.

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No.2008-021572 filed on Jan. 31, 2008, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

1. A marionette toy comprising: a container to accommodate a marionette;a lid for said container; a plurality of suspending members one end ofeach of which is connected to said marionette to suspend saidmarionette; and a driving mechanism which drives at least one of saidplurality of suspending members and is arranged inside said lid.
 2. Thetoy according to claim 1, wherein said driving mechanism comprisescontrol means which starts operation upon detection of a sound, stopsoperation after having operated for a predetermined period of time, andshifts to a power saving mode when a sound not less than a threshold isnot input for not less than a predetermined period of time afterstopping, and said plurality of suspending members have such lengthsthat at least while said driving mechanism is stopped, two feet of saidmarionette are spaced apart from a bottom of said container.
 3. The toyaccording to claim 1, wherein said plurality of suspending membersinclude a first string which suspends a right hand of said marionette, asecond string which suspends a left hand of said marionette, a thirdstring which suspends a right foot of said marionette, and a fourthstring which suspends a left foot of said marionette, and said thirdstring and said fourth string are located in front of said first stringand said second string with respect to a front side of a main body ofsaid marionette.
 4. The toy according to claim 3, wherein said drivingmechanism includes a first seesaw member with one end which locks saidfirst string and the other end which locks said second string, a secondseesaw member with one end which locks said third string and the otherend which locks said fourth string, driving means which drives saidfirst seesaw member, and motion converting means which transfers motionof said first seesaw member to said second seesaw member and changes amoving direction of said second seesaw member to be different from amoving direction of said first seesaw member.
 5. The toy according toclaim 4, wherein said motion converting means includes a first shaftmember which serves as a pivot shaft of said first seesaw member, asecond shaft member which is arranged parallel to said first shaftmember, coupled to said first shaft member through a coupling member,and moves along a circular arc when said first seesaw member seesaws,and a third shaft member which is arranged parallel to said first shaftmember and serves as a pivot shaft of said second seesaw member, andsaid second shaft member engages with said second seesaw member, andwhen said second shaft member moves along the circular arc, said secondseesaw member seesaws about said third shaft member as a center.
 6. Thetoy according to claim 4, wherein said first string and said secondstring are respectively locked by said first seesaw member throughlocking members that can be removed from said first seesaw member. 7.The toy according to claim 4, wherein said third string and said fourthstring are respectively locked by said second seesaw member throughlocking members that can be removed from said second seesaw member.